1. Field of the Invention
Generally, the field of the present invention relates to sensor systems. Specifically, the present invention relates to skin color and capacitive sensor systems for devices including hand-held consumer devices and assemblies thereof.
2. Background Art
Several devices and methods are presently used for the removal of hair on a person's body including applying hot wax to a target area and quickly removing the wax after the wax has cooled, shaving the target area with a razor, applying chemical depilatories to a target area, and applying laser radiation to a targeted area. There are significant advantages to the laser methods over the others with respect to the length of time it takes hair to grow back, ease of the process, etc. However, available laser hair removal devices tend to be far too bulky, unwieldy, and expensive for easy in-home use.
Many laser-based hair removal devices use bars of laser diodes to generate the light for the device. This typically requires the device to be capable of generating a large current to power the bars. Power supplies capable of producing such currents tend to be large and more expensive than power supplies producing less current. Additionally, larger currents produce more heat which can become a potential hazard if not handled effectively. If the efficiency of the device suffers at any point between the power supply and the targeted treatment area, even more power will be required to make the device function in a particular range. This also has the tendency to produce more heat, further complicating heat dissipation. Resolving heat dissipation can lead to additional or larger components which further detract from the ergonomics of the device and again prevent the useful application of laser removal methods for home use. Also, for safe use, it is important to understand the attributes of the targeted surface such as the type of skin or the presence of skin being targeted as well as to provide safe and secure use of the device. Accordingly, there is a need for a device that incorporates many of the aforementioned advantages and dispenses with the drawbacks.